Getting Favre and Manning on ground could decide NFC title
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

GREEN BAY, Wis. - A sack is like a bases-loaded double play or a blocked shot in the final seconds of a tight game. It's dynamic or deflating, depending on which side of the line a player makes his living.

Whichever team gets the quarterback on the ground most often in Sunday's NFC championship game could be the one headed to the Super Bowl. And both the Giants and Packers excel at pressuring and punishing opposing passers, even if Brett Favre or Eli Manning gets his pass away.

''I think a sack is a glorified stat,'' Green Bay defensive end Aaron Kampman said. ''Trust me, we all try to get them. I try to get them. You know, it's a great thing. But in the end, if I, or anyone, can force an incompletion, can force a hurried throw that leads to an incompletion, a ball hit afterwards, all those things factor into the game. So yeah, I feel very comfortable with how we're rushing.''

Which should make Manning feel, well, very uncomfortable.

Then again, Manning has gotten strong protection late in the season and in the playoffs. One major reason for the Giants' astounding 9-1 road mark is that Manning has remained upright so often in away games.

''I don't know if that is going to happen, but just to be in situations where you can still run the ball possibly, you can still throw it,'' Manning cites as the key to offsetting the Packers' sack patrol. ''You can get the ball out quickly and do some shorter throws if you have to get the ball in the receiver's hands to see if they can run for a first down.''

Manning won't be doing much running or scrambling; he's a pretty stationary target. That means if the Packers (14- 3) can slow Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and New York's running attack, they can tee off on the fourth-year quarterback playing in the biggest game of his life.

''I have a lot of faith in our guys up front, in our pass rush, and they'll get there. They'll do what they have to do,'' linebacker Nick Barnett said. ''They work hard every week to get there. And sometimes, we may not get the sacks in the game, but we have a lot of pressures, a lot of knockdowns, hurries, and that's just as good as sacks for us, incomplete passes.''

Last week, on a snow-covered Lambeau Field turf, the Pack had little trouble styming Seattle's formidable pass rush. While playing conditions figure to be drier, but much colder, on Sunday, the footing isn't likely to be ideal for Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and company.

Plus, Favre is a master at avoiding pressure and sacks, moving just enough to find passing lanes, and using a quick release to get the ball downfield. That's one reason Green Bay so often uses four and even five wide receivers; the coaches have tremendous faith in the offensive line's protection skills.

''They are very difficult to have a sack (against),'' Giants sacks leader Umenyiora said of the Packers, who allowed only 19 sacks all season, 15 on Favre. ''They have a good offensive line, but he doesn't take any sacks. He throws the ball very, very quick., so we have to get our hands up.''

The Giants (12-6) have played the game that way extremely well, and their 53 sacks topped the NFLthis season, with Umenyiora pacing New York with 13 - one more than Green Bay leader Kampman. They've scrapped a four-DE alignment on passing downs since linebacker Mattias Kiwanuka, a converted end, broke his leg on Nov. 18.